Clothes-tongs



(No Model.)

W. H. MITCHELL.

GLDTHES TONGS;

No. 426,039. Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

T mus ramas ou., morcruwo msuwnron u c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. MITCHELL, OF BAR HARBOR, MAINE.

CLOTH ES-TONGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,039, dated April 22, 1890.

Application led October 24, 1889. Serial No. 328,031. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bar Harbor, in the county of Hancock and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to tongs for manipulating clothes during the operation of boiling the same, and among the objects in view are to provide an exceedingly simple and cheaply constructed tongs adapted to be inserted into the boiler either for the purpose of grasping and withdrawing the clothes or for so manipulating the same as to expose soiled portions to the full action of the boiling water and for agitating the clothes.

Iith these general objects in view the invention consists in a pair of tong-sections formed preferably of wood and connected intermediate their ends by a U-shaped spring, the terminals of which are suitably secured to the tongs, said tongs terminating at their front ends in clothes-grasping jaws and extended at their rear ends to form handles, the spring serving to normally close the jaws, so that in order to open the same the handles must be compressed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure lisa perspective of a pair of clothes-tongs constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective of one of the tong members or sections. Fig. 3 isa similar view of the U-shaped spring.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l l represent a pair of wooden sections or tong-levers of uniform shape and size, and preferably cylindrical in cross-section, and thus at one end forming a pair of handles 2 and at the opposite end a pair of jaws 3, each of which is Hattened upon its inner face, so that the two jaws may press snugly together.

4c represents a U-shaped spring-strap, the same being formed by a spring-blank doubled upon itself, the tendency of the terminals of the opposite halves being to spread or separate. The halves are each perforated, as at 6, and through the same are passed securing devices, in this instance screws or pins 7, each half of the spring being secured to the inner face of one of the tong-levers, so that when in position the tong-levers are brought snugly together at their jaw ends and diverge from that point to their handles.

In operation, in order to grasp clothing, it is necessary for the operator to compress the handles in order to open the jaws, and after the jaws have been introduced over an apparel the handles are released and the spring acts to close the jaws upon the apparel, and the same Inay be-manipnlated in any desired manner and without the necessity of dipping the hands of the operator in the hot water.

Having thus described my invention, I claim The combination, with the opposite straight tong-sections terminating at one end in jaws, of the Ushaped spring (the tendency of the terminals of which is to spread or separate) inserted between the sections, each terminal being formed to it the adjacent section and secured thereto, and the sections terminating in rear of the spring in opposite handles.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aliixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM II. MITCHELL.

I'Vitnesses:

JN0. T. HIGGINS, L. B. DEAEY. 

